Premier League to approve goal-line technology for start of the next season

Football Association general secretary Alex Horne expects Barclays Premier League clubs to formally approve goal-line technology for next season at a meeting this week.

Fifa last week appointed the German company Goal Control to provide goal line technology (GLT) at the Confederations Cup in Brazil this summer and, if successful, it will also be used at next year’s World Cup finals. Horne believes Premier League clubs will commit formally to GLT for the 2013-14 campaign when they meet on Thursday.

“I always thought it was an ideal piece of technology to allow into the game,” said Horne. “The [Premier League] club meeting is on Thursday so I’m expecting it to go through at that meeting.”

Plans have been in place since last year when the Premier League met with the two currently licensed GLT companies, Hawk-Eye and GoalRef, to install the system at top-flight matches.

The FA has been at the forefront of the drive to introduce GLT and is looking to install it at Wembley.

Horne told BBC Sport: “There are occasions [when GLT is needed] and we’ve seen them here at Wembley, we’ve seen them in World Cups, we’ve seen them 11 or 12 times in the Premier League this season alone.

“So technology that says ‘yes, the ball has crossed the line’ and lets the referee know makes an awful lot of sense to me.”